Units 1-4 Vocabulary
By: Jordan Wilder
Adage
• (n.) a proverb, wise
saying.
• Our teacher read an
old adage from the
bible yesterday.
• Synonyms- maxim,
saw, aphorism.
Bonanza
• (n.) a rich mass of ore in
a mine;something very
valuable, profitable, or
rewarding;a source of
wealth or prosperity;a
very large
amount;sudden profit or
gain
• A large sum of bonanza
was located in the
southern U.S.
• Synonyms- windfall
Churlish
• (adj.) lacking politeness
or good manners;lacking
sensitivity;difficult to work
with or deal with;rude
• My little sister was being
very churlish at and
during the wedding.
• Synonyms- surly,illtempered
• Antonyms- courteous,
civil, well-mannered
Citadel
• (n.) a fortress that over
looks and protects a
city;any strong or
commanding place
• There are many historic
citadels are located in the
country of Ireland.
• Synonyms- fort,
stronghold, bulwark,
bastion
Collaborate
• (v.) to work together
• After an hour of hard
work the kids seemed
to collaborate very
well-mannered.
• Synonyms- team up,
join forces
• Antonyms- work
alone
Decree
• (n.) an order having the
force of law; (v.) to issue
such an order; to
command firmly or
forcefully
• “There went forth a
decree from Caesar
Augustus that all the
world should be taxed.”
• Synonyms- (n.)
proclamation, edict; (v.)
proclaim
Discordant
• (adj.) disagreeable in
sound, jarring; lacking in
harmony, conflicting
• There was a high
discordant sound coming
from the factory made
machine.
• Synonyms- grating, shrill,
different, divergent
• Antonyms- harmonious,
in agreement
Evolve
• (v.) to develop gradually;
to rise to a higher level
• Over time and history the
world has evolved into to
such a beautiful
environment.
• Synonyms- unfold,
emerge
• Antonyms- wither, shrivel
up, atrophy
Excerpt
• (n.) a passage taken
from a book, article,
etc.; (v.) to take such
a passage; to quote
• We used the excerpt
on the Koons trial to
answer he questions.
• Synonyms- portion,
section, extract
Grope
• (v.) to feel about
hesitantly with hands; to
search blindly and
uncertainly
• I groped through my room
when the power went off
so I could reach my mom
and tell her that I was
safe.
• Synonyms- fumble for,
cast about for
Hover
• (v.) to float or hang
suspended over; to move
back and forth uncertainly
over or around
• The cat hovered over the
fish tank waiting for a fish
to appear.
• Synonyms- linger, waver,
seesaw
• Antonyms- soar
Jostle
• (v.) to make or force
one’s way by pushing
or elbowing; to bump,
shove, brush against;
to compete for
• I had to jostle with my
little sister into the
bathtub to get her
clean.
• Synonyms- push
Laggard
• (n.) a person who moves
slowly or falls behind;
(adj.) falling behind; slow
move, act, or respond
• My brother was acting
like a laggard getting up
in the morning.
• Synonyms-(n.) slowpoke,
straggler; (adj.) sluggish
• Antonyms-(n.) early bird;
(adj.) swift, speedy,
prompt
Plaudits
• (n.) applause;
enthusiastic praise or
approval
• The music director
politely asked for a
plaudits from the
audience.
• Synonyms- cheers,
acclaim
• Antonyms- boos,
disapproval, ridicule
Preclude
• (v.) to make
impossible, prevent,
shut out
• We preclude the
negative ideas.
• Synonyms- hinder,
check stop
• Antonyms- help,
promote, facilitate
Revert
• (v.) to return, go back
• We reverted to the
“G” building at the
end of the day.
• Synonyms- relapse,
regress
• Antonyms- progress,
advance
Rubble
• (n.) broken stone or
bricks; ruins
• After 9/11 there were
many pieces of rubble
in the streets of New
York.
• Synonyms- wreckage,
debris
Servile
• (adj.) of or relating to
slave; behaving like or
suitable for a slave or a
servant, menial; lacking
spirit or independence,
abjectly submissive
• The maid was being very
servile to Ms.Darns.
• Synonyms- slavish,
groveling, fawning
• Antonyms- masterly,
overbearing
Vigil
• (n.) a watch,
especially at night;
any period of watchful
attention
• There was a steady
vigil going on at the
police station.
Wrangle
• (v.) to quarrel or argue in
a noisy, angry way; to
obtain by argument; to
herd; (n.) a noisy quarrel
• The two children began to
wrangle over the blocks.
• Synonyms- (v.) squabble,
bicker
• Antonyms-(v.) agree,
concur